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Spinners help Sri Lanka stun South Africa in T20 WC opener

Published

3 years ago

2023/02/11

Chamari Athapaththu’s half-century and an excellent performance with the ball set up Sri Lanka’s thrilling three-run victory in the T20 WC opener against South Africa in Cape Town on Friday (February 10). Despite a slow first half, Sri Lanka managed to post 129 for 4 thanks to Athapaththu’s 50-ball 68 – which included 12 boundaries – and her 89-run association for the second wicket with Vishmi Gunaratne (35 off 34). The bowlers then got into the act as Inoka Ranaweera (3-18), Oshadi Ranasinghe (2-20) and Sugandika Kumari (2-28) delivered regular strikes, with the latter defending 12 in the final over to help Sri Lanka stun South Africa.

The South African openers got off to a steady start, scoring three boundaries between them in the first four overs. But the partnership came to an end in the fifth as Ranasinghe had Tazmin Brits slicing a catch to cover to dismiss her for 12 in her first over, and also gave away only two runs. Marizanne Kapp struck a boundary off Sugandika in the final over of the powerplay as South Africa got 38 in the first six overs. Kapp, however, fell in the eighth over attempting to hit Ranaweera over mid on and the bowler also bagged the wicket of Laura Wolvaardt to leave South Africa in a spot of bother at 53/3 in the 10th over.

South Africa found themselves in further trouble as Sugandika had Chloe Tryon caught at long on and Anneke Bosch bowled off an inside edge as they slipped to 72/5 in the 13th over. The required rate rose over 10 when the 16th over was completed, with skipper Sune Luus being the key for the hosts who found themselves under a lot of pressure. Luus struck a six off Ranasinghe but Nadine de Klerk fell in the same over, leaving South Africa with 33 to get off the last three overs.

A couple of boundaries for Sinalo Jafta off Kavisha Dilhari brought the equation to 20 off 12 deliveries. Sri Lanka missed a run-out opportunity in the penultimate over but Ranaweera got the big wicket of Luus, having the South African captain stumped for 28. Shabnim Ismail struck her first ball for a four but Jafta was run out soon after. Needing 13 to win off the last over, Ismail managed a couple off the first ball bowled by Sugandika but was run out the next ball attempting a couple. Sugandika, the experienced left-arm spinner, delivered an excellent over under pressure, giving away nine to deliver a winning start to Sri Lanka’s campaign.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, Athapaththu had an early reprieve as ‘keeper Sinalo Jafta put down a catch while driving across to an edge created by Ismail. Meanwhile, both the Sri Lankan openers did not find scoring easy, with Ismail even bowling a maiden to Harshitha Madavi. The boundary drought ended in the fourth over as Athapaththu slammed a cover drive off Kapp and also struck two successive boundaries off Nonkululeko Mlaba while Madavi played a scoop shot off Ayabonga Khaka for a four. But Sri Lanka could get only 28 in the powerplay and they also lost their first wicket soon after as de Klerk had Madavi caught at short mid-wicket.

The next batter, Gunaratne, also took some time to get going while Athapaththu had to shoulder the responsibility of getting the bulk of the runs. The Lankan skipper struck two fours off de Klerk but Sri Lanka managed only 45 in the first 10 overs, struggling to find any momentum. Athapaththu provided the much-needed impetus with three fours in a row off de Klerk in the 11th over, driving a couple through cover before pulling one over mid-wicket. Gunaratne played a paddle shot off Mlaba for her first four and followed it up with three fours in succession off Ismail to bring up the half-century stand off 36 balls.

Athapaththu got to a 42-ball fifty and then struck another hat-trick of boundaries off de Klerk as Sri Lanka went past 100 in the 16th over. The second wicket stand came to an end when a direct hit from Brits caught Gunaratne short of the crease. In the same over, Kapp got the wicket of Athapaththu thanks to a fine catch from de Klerk in the deep. The wicket of the set batters and tight bowling from South Africa meant that Sri Lanka could only manage 15 in the last three overs to finish with a sub-par total.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 129/5 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 68, Vishmi Gunaratne 35; Marizanne Kapp 1-15) beat South Africa 126/9 in 20 overs (Sune Luus 28; Inoka Ranaweera 3-18, Oshadi Ranasinghe 2-20) by 3 runs.

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

47 mins ago

2026/04/16

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 15 April 2026, valid for 16 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern
and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491

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Pakistani army chief in Tehran amid bid to restart US talks

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/15

Priyan

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) receives Pakistani Army Commander Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran [Aljazeera]

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has landed in Iran as part of a delegation to hold high-level talks on the resumption of talks between Iran and the US.

Iran’s army has warned it will block trade through the Red Sea along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman if the US naval blockade on Iranian ports continues.

The US military says it has “completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea” as its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues for a second day.

US President Donald Trump says the war is “close to over” after hinting at a second round of face-to-face talks with Iran in Pakistan in the coming days.

(Aljazeera)

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Sri Lanka repatriates 238 Iranian sailors stranded after US torpedo attack

Published

4 hours ago

2026/04/15

Priyan

More than 200 Iranian sailors left stranded in Sri Lanka after a US torpedo attack are returning home after being stuck in the country for more than a month.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Defence Minister, Aruna ⁠Jayasekara, confirmed 32 sailors rescued from the Iris Dena and 206 from Irins Bushehr, had left the country.

The Iranian warship, Iris Dena, sank on 4 March about 40km (25 miles) from Sri Lanka’s southern coastline after it was hit by a torpedo from a US submarine, killing 104 sailors.

On March 5, Sri Lanka took control of the Iranian naval vessel, Irins Bushehr, after it had requested to dock at one of country’s ports after one of its engines malfunctioned.

Speaking to Reuters, ⁠Jayasekara confirmed the crew of both ships were flown out on Tuesday night.

The stranded sailors were granted 30-day entry visas by the Sri Lankan government and were housed in navy and air force camps.

The Iris Dena had been returning from a military exercise hosted by India when it was attacked.

Video released by the US Department of Defense after the incident showed a ship being struck, causing the stern to rise up before exploding.

The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in the attack were recovered and later repatriated in a chartered plane arranged by Iran.

Its sinking in international waters came just a few days into the current US-Israeli war with Iran and marked a dramatic widening of the conflict.

Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East – targeting Gulf countries allied with the US.

A map showing the Arabian Sea region including Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, India, and Sri Lanka. A red label near Sri Lanka marks the location where the Iris Dena sank near Galle. The Strait of Hormuz is labelled between Iran and Oman. In the upper-right corner, an inset photo shows a grey naval ship docked at a port with cranes in the background, labelled the Iris Dena in Brazil in 2023. A small world map in the upper-left highlights the region with a red rectangle.

About 15 Iranian sailors will remain in Sri Lanka to operate the Irins Bushehr, which is anchored off Trincomalee in the northeast of the island.

Sri Lankq had allowed the Iranian vessel to dock at a north-eastern port on 5 March after hours of discussion, with its president saying they would “never hesitate to protect humanity”.

“Our position has been to safeguard our neutrality while demonstrating our humanitarian values,” President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in a statement at the time.

“[Sri Lanka] intervened in a way that demonstrated our commitment to international conventions, protecting the reputation and dignity of our country, and protecting human lives,” he said.

Sri Lanka has maintained a long-standing policy of non-alignment since it became independent in 1948.

It has strong economic and diplomatic ties with both Iran and the US.

(BBC)